The soothing melodies of Norah Jones wafting through a dim lit room, musings about a future as a therapist, engineer or founder of a health-care empire — these are some of the sights and sounds one might expect to find in a coffee shop or dorm room at a small liberal-arts college.

The number of university workers accessing counselling and occupational health services has shot up, according to research which describes “an epidemic” of poor mental health among higher education staff.

A group of high school and college students from Connecticut have come together to build something extraordinary: Fully-functioning electric carts for families who may not be able to afford adaptive wheelchairs.